Client Projects 2015-2016

MSMR Graduate: Aimee

Topic: How to anticipate the purchasing needs of customers.

Research: The project is a descriptive study, geared toward analyzing how the products are positioned. Determining the company’s current and potential market share is a key section of the project. Research consisted of analysis of two surveys, two focus groups, and a survey delivered to the focus groups. A key finding of the surveys shows demographic trends, commonly purchased competitors brands, favored attributes, comparative attitudes, respondent’s likelihood to recommend the product to others, interest in learning more, brand recommendations from others, and intended uses for product.

Conclusions: The results of the research will (1) enhance the work of the Product Development Director in developing products to anticipate the needs of the customer; and (2) better equip the company to track and fulfill current trends in snacking and flavor profiles. Recommendations include increase product placement possibilities where the current and potential customer shops; increase interest in product range by creating a neutral product; and leverage consumers’ interest in locally-made products by creating and testing a product line specifically for the area.

Research: Analysis of current target market and projected target market in relation to the product/service potential. The research looked into what features appeal to the target market, how the product/service can be re-marketed to fit them, and how to maintain customer loyalty.

Conclusions: The results from the research can help the customer tap into the potentially large revenue presented by these clients. Overall, the study explored possibilities for future marketing campaigns based on consumer preferences and needs in regards to the product/service highlights.

MSMR Graduate: Chase & Scott

Topic: Explores insights into a specific business category in regards to economic development.

Research: A two-phase study looks into a specific business category startup processes, location preferences, financing, and marketing factors. An experiment was conducted on factors contributing to effective social media marketing for this business sector, as well.

Conclusions: Provide recommendations for client to better assist their goals and further assess the economic development based on one specific business category.

MSMR Graduate: Chloe & Riley

Topic: A holistic perspective whether a new customer experience derives more satisfaction in comparisons to the original experience.

Research: Four key measures, education, confidence, inspiration and engagement, were used to determine customer satisfaction. Education represents how customers are learning about the products they are interested in. The company sought-out to determine if there is higher confidence, or lower post-purchase cognitive dissonance, in customers that go through the new experience. Inspiration will measure the effectiveness of the company’s in-store imagery and displays to inspire customers to follow their company motto. Finally, engagement measures the customer’s level of involvement with the company outside of purchase behavior. Three surveys were distributed, one to customers in the control environment, one in the experimental environment, and a final one to participants who have purchased company products in the last three months. In addition, fourteen in-depth interviews were also conducted.

Conclusions: Customers did not differ in customer satisfaction between environments. Most respondents learned about products online, which made their store experience more difficult. Difference in location responses from participants were also analyzed. There was a positive relationship between local imagery and shopper’s inspiration. The researchers recommended that the company resurvey the pilot location in six months, implement helpful store additions specifically for customer’s intentions, incorporate local imagery and increase visual aids to educate consumers.

MSMR Graduate: Hadley, David & Chris

Topic: To assess and determine the feasibility of introducing a new product line to an already established company.

Research: The new product would be built for, and marketed towards a specific consumer-base and the research helped understand consumer preferences for the new product’s options and features. An analysis of previous products and their preferred features was conducted. Conjoint analysis was used during the research.

Conclusions: The study informed the client which were the most recommended features and general information regarding consumer perceptions of feature specifications, as well as consumer’s ideal product attributes. The research also gave excellent insight into the preferences and needs of their target market that can be used to market other products, as well.

MSMR Graduate: Liudmyla

Topic: The goal of this study was to determine which brand equity elements affect the perceived loyalty and satisfaction expressed by consumer willingness to recommend, crave, and love the brands of a product category in order to include those measures into a tracking study for the company.

Research: The research was designed to analyze an adapted measurement set including brand-specific elements, functional benefits, and image-related dimensions that are unique for a product category. Meaningful factors (concepts of consumer brand perceptions) were constructed based on brand-related attributes which were then used to estimate their impact on major attitudinal concepts. Moreover, the means of factor analysis on category-related attributes and ANOVA tests were derived from consumer self-reported importance.

Conclusions: The results of the analysis indicated top drivers of all three concepts, followed by emotional characteristics. The brand performance on the characteristics and current brand positioning uncovered suitable recommendations for the company. The research also suggested product re-positioning. In addition, the researcher found it was important for the company to concentrate on monitoring outcome variables, as well as extend the model with at least one behavioral concept and examine relationships.

MSMR Graduate: Ramy & Kevin

Topic: This study explores the insights and perceptions individuals have about the client’s social media content.

Research: Two different surveys were conducted on two separate target groups. The purpose of the survey was to gather insights these individual had about the client’s social media and how to improve the overall content.

Conclusions: The research looked for factors that can help improve social media content and better understand what the target groups would like to see from the social media.